The Fall
Episode 7 of The Naked Director begins with Kuroki and Muranishi together. She wants to start a comeback business with him and do so through starting up a new religion. This way the pair can be together and bounce back again. Instead, he pulls away. Kaoru eventually heads back to her apartment with Junko. While the Director is out, Kaoru falls from her balcony to the ground below. She’s rushed to hospital, with Junko hurrying after to make sure she’s okay. It doesn’t look good, especially when she’s taken into the Intensive Care Unit. Kawada and Toshi both show up to accompany her. Meanwhile, Muranishi finds himself unable to pay up his funds to Furuya. He’s 100 million short and Ogiwara starts to have his way, beating the man down. As he does, Muranishi suddenly mentions how there’s money at Sapphire. This gives him one final chance to pay up or it seems he’s going to meet a nasty demise. Muranishi heads to the police station, where he shows Detective Takei his injuries. Takei really doesn’t care though and leaves the man reeling and unsure where else to turn. At home, Nogi heads back to pick up her stuff… and one last dry hump. She knows she’ll never replace Kaoru and eventually leaves, getting the train to parts unknown and leaving Muranishi’s life forever. Kawada strikes up a deal with Wada, realizing this is the right time to put his plan into action and start filming new original movies. He’s going to show thee world what’s behind the censorship. In order to do that, Mitamura (who’s now working for Wada) is allowed to team up with the gang and set up their new business venture. Kuroki has suffered a fractured skull following her suicide attempt, and it’s made mainstream news too. Muranishi eventually heads in to Sapphire and starts rooting around in the drawers and safe, doing anything to rustle up the money he needs. The others manage to stop him though, booting him out the door. While out walking the streets, Muranishi is grabbed and thrown in the back of a car. When he awakens, he finds himself at the mercy of Furuya. Eventually though he charges out and runs away. He’s made his choice and his time is definitely coming to an end. Unfortunately the Yakuza turn their attention to Sapphire. Muranishi’s debt has now passed across to them, given he’s run out, and they have to pay 2 billion won in total. Muranishi however, is saved by the skin of his teeth by an unlikely source – Toshi!
The Episode Review
Just when you things couldn’t sink any lower, Kaoru is taken into hospital while Muranishi finds himself at the mercy of the yakuza. Seeing Kawada and Toshi forced to pay off Muranishi’s debt is heartbreaking to see and something that’s undoubtedly going to see both companies ripped apart from the inside out. Despite managing to claw their way back up from the depths, everything is tumbling back down into oblivion again. It’s a really bitter pill to swallow and something that’s poised precariously for the finale to come. The show has done an excellent job carrying these story threads throughout and what’s begun as an ascent into satellite deals and lucrative adult videos has soon tumbled into a life or death foray with these gangsters. Everything has been left on a knife-edge here.
